


The history of a girl called Jane

by jesseofthenorth



Series: Where I've walked [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, M/M, bad ass Phil Coulson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-22
Updated: 2013-07-22
Packaged: 2017-12-20 23:18:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/893055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesseofthenorth/pseuds/jesseofthenorth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil finds some things out about Connor's mother.</p><p>Warning: Mentions exploitation of a child</p>
            </blockquote>





	The history of a girl called Jane

**Author's Note:**

> Follows somewhere much later in the chronology of the series

Connor Stark's mother was a 16 year old prostitute that belonged to a guy named Carl Dengler. 

He bought her when she was 14 from another guy who's name Dengler never bothered to find out. 

Turns out that fellow's name was Martin Holt and he was her step-father's youngest brother and a drug addict who owed a lot of money. He died with a rig in his arm before she was 15, which was unfortunate only because it meant Phil Coulson couldn't have him killed in a way befitting his crime, having already been dead for five years by the time Phil found out who he was. 

So, yes, unfortunate. Phil would have really liked to deal with him _personally_.

It didn't take long for Phil to learn all of this, once he decided to go looking. It did take him a while to decide what to do with the information. He could tell Tony, who would immediately want as much revenge as he could exact for Connor and his pretty young mother, because Tony Stark might be a dick but he was also a good man.

Phil could tell Steve but Jesus he did not want to be the one to deliver news that would land like a blow on the heart of a man he respected almost above all others.

He could actually tell any of the Avengers, they all loved that little boy like he was the sun and the moon. But what would be the point? They would all want to 'fix' it and the time for that was long past if it had ever existed. She was dead and no one seemed to care. Phil Coulson was above all things a pragmatist and it was clear to him that the only thing that could be saved from the situation _had_ been saved, when Tony Stark picked a little boy up in a parking garage and held on to him.

In the end Clint found out on his own because he was a snoopy asshole and Phil had long ago stopped guarding any parts of his life from Clint. Phil didn't have many secrets and hadn't really tried to hide any of them from Clint anyway. Phil had a moment of real regret on that front when he came home and found Clint sitting on their sofa with the file clutched tightly in his hands, jaw clenched tight, and tears in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to kill someone.

Phil sat down beside him but didn't say anything, just waited for Clint to sort through some of the things he was feeling. 

After a while Clint spoke “You gonna let me help with this?”

“What did you have in mind?” Phil asked him.

“Dengler” Clint growled.

“You want Dengler?”

Clint nodded.

“No.” Phil told him. Clint started to protest but Phil cut him off sharp “Make no mistake Clint, Dengler is going to get his. I promise. I already have the ball rolling on that. But I am not going to just hand him over to you, and watch you cut yourself up over damage you are in no way responsible for.”

Clint scowled at that “I love that little guy, Phil.”

“I know you do.”

“This” Clint shook the folder angrily “is NOT fair!”

“No it isn't. And we're going to even the score Clint. _We are_. But we are going to do it without you hurting yourself.”

Clint looked affronted at that “I know my damned job, sir. I am not going to let this goon hurt me.”

Phil let out a breath, half huff half sigh. “I am not worried about your body Clint. I meant your heart. Revenge is ugly and cold. You are a lot of things but none of them are ugly and cold. Can you please follow my lead on this?”

Clint smirked at him “Don't I always?”

It was Phil's turn to smirk then, because actually no, Clint didn't always. He argued and challenged and bitched and huffed.  
Clint got this though, how important it was to Phil that Hawkeye let him take the lead.

“ I promise, Clint. I promise you and Connor and his mother, Dengler is not going to walk.”

Clint nodded. He knew it was true.

 

After it was as finished as it was going to be and Dengler was tucked into the deep dark hole he was going to be spending the rest of forever in, Phil went to visit the girl's grave. He held the heavily edited file he was going to be handing over to Tony later that day. Phil smiled a little when he saw the name Tony'd had engraved on her stone. It was purely coincidental, but her name WAS Jane.


End file.
